Burk again asks Augustamembers to resign club

Still not happy with the protest area, advocate for women's rights calls for corporate execs to declare where they stand on issue.

ATLANTA -- Martha Burk called on Augusta National members to take a stand against Hootie Johnson and turn in their green jackets if they don't agree with him on the issue of female members.

Trying to regain the momentum in her fight to get a woman admitted to Augusta National, Burk said Thursday that members who disagree with the club chairman should resign.

"If they do not agree with this policy, they must resign their memberships," Burk said. "The choice is to stand up and support Hootie, or stand down."

A day after more than 60 members appeared with Johnson in a public display of solidarity, Burk said it's time for all of the 300 or so members to publicly declare where they stand.

Particularly, she said, the corporate executives among the membership need to be accountable to their stockholders over the issue.

"If they believe Augusta National is right to continue excluding women, then I challenge them to hold a news conference and tell us publicly," Burk said.

The head of the National Council of Women's Organizations issued the challenge at a news conference with other supporters.

She was joined in a teleconference by the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who pledged his support but said he wouldn't be at Saturday's scheduled protest.

Jackson said protesters from his Rainbow/PUSH Coalition plan to be heard and said arrests could occur if they are not allowed close enough to the gates of Augusta National.

A federal appeals court on Wednesday upheld the plan by local authorities to have the protests limited to a 5.1-acre site about a half-mile from the course.

"Plan B is arrest if plan A is denied," Jackson said.

Burk said she won't give up despite the court's refusal to overrule the Augusta sheriff's authority to deny her a permit to protest at the club's main gate.

She said a meeting was scheduled with Sheriff Ronald Strength today to decide where the different protest groups could picket.

She called the protest lot "the pit" and said she hasn't ruled out sending a handful of protesters to the gate.

Jackson said his group stands behind Burk's organization on the issue of female members.

"The real issue is the PGA should not in fact support the Masters being held in Augusta so long as it is gender discriminatory," Jackson said. "Just as the PGA should not participate in apartheid South Africa, they should not participate in gender apartheid in Augusta."

On Wednesday, Johnson said his club has no timetable for admitting a female member and that the policy was backed by all club members.

"It's not my issue alone," Johnson said. "If I drop dead this second, our position will not change."